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Sunday, December 8, 2013
London Chess Classic 2013 Chess in Schools and Communities Events for Kids
Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013
Hello everyone,
The 5th London Chess Classic takes place at Olympia from Saturday 7th December to Sunday 15th December 2013. CSC school events at previous Classics have proved great successes and shall be running them again this year. The programme will be delivered by professional chess tutors and is intended for children of all chess abilities, from complete beginners upwards. These events will run from 10.00 am to 3.30 pm each day, with a break for a sandwich lunch. All primary and secondary schools are invited to participate. Please note that space is limited to 400 children per day and priority will be given to current CSC schools. Photographs will be taken at all LCC events which may appear on the CSC website and the charity’s promotional material. Members of the press may also film some of the events for broadcast. Appropriate parental consent should be obtained beforehand. Please contact Nevil Chan on 020 7935 3445 if you have any queries. Also check the official website of the London Chess Classic 2013.
Chess in School and Communities Announces Ground-Breaking Project in London Borough Newham
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013
Hi everyone,
Chess in Schools and Communities has announced the first Charity-Public-Private initiative in ground breaking project to teach 20,000 children how to play chess in London Borough of Newham.
Chess in Schools and the Communities (CSC), a UK registered charity and Newham Borough Council are working together with East Village in an innovative project to deliver chess to all 64 primary schools in Newham and teach 20,000 children to play the world's most enduring game.
The 'Urban Chess' program was launched on 13th March, just 2 days ahead of the World Chess Candidates Tournament in London - which will see 8 of the world's greatest players including world number one Magnus Carlsen compete for a €500,000 prize fund - East Village will celebrate its sponsorship of CSC, by welcoming local schools to Stratford Library for a fun and educational morning of hess games and classes on a giant board - led by British Champion Grandmaster Gawain Jones. CSC’s ‘Newham Chess Project’ began in the London Borough of Newham in June 2010 when England women’s international Sabrina Chevannes began teaching at Ravenscroft Primary School. The innovative approach of teaching the game to an entire class in school time led to her work being featured on Breakfast Television. As a result, 5 Newham schools and over 500 children have already enjoyed the arrival of chess into their classrooms, a programme of weekly chess lessons, and entry into national tournaments – such as the Delancey UK School’s Chess Challenge.
The additional support from East Village will allow CSC and Newham Council to extend this innovative programme to a further 10 schools, reaching thousands more children across the local area Participating schools are:
Ravenscroft Primary School Selwyn Primary School Sheringham Primary School St Antony's Primary School St Stephen's Primary School Tollgate Primary School Upton Cross Primary School William Davies Primary School Carpenters Primary School Calverton Primary School Dersingham Primary School Keir Hardie Primary School Lathom Primary School
Mayor of Newham, Sir Robin Wales, said: “Chess is a great way for our young people to build their confidence, concentration and problem-solving skills. I hope as many children as possible take up the opportunity to play this wonderful game. This is a great example of how Newham Council works with other organisations to innovate. Every child in Newham matters and they should have the same chances as youngsters in wealthier parts of the country.”
As well as promoting chess in schools, the partnership will develop chess clubs and lessons in libraries, look at hosting a chess festival and provide giant chess sets in the borough’s parks if there is a significant take up of the scheme.
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Chess in Schools and Communities (CSC), a new charity that uses the ancient game of chess as a learning tool in classrooms across England and Wales have been shortlisted and highly commended in the annual Community Sport and Recreational Awards, formerly the Sports Club of the Year Awards, for 2012.
The judging panel, chaired by the BBC’s Eleanor Oldroyd awards sport and recreation organisations that have excelled in areas such as volunteer management, school links and green thinking.
CSC, formed in September 2010, were not only shortlisted in the category of school links but were also highly commended for their innovative work in schools by the judging panel.
The charity teaches chess to children in class as well as organising the traditional after school and lunchtime clubs, showing that chess, a game that crosses all social barriers, is for all children and not just the academically oriented. CSC delivers chess sets, chess tutors and a 30 week chess curriculum that emphasises cross curricular links.
In December, CSC will be bringing 1000 children in their 'Urban Chess' program to Olympia to enjoy free training and sample the London Chess Classic, their flagship event which will include five of the world's top players including world number one Magnus Carlsen and world champion Vishy Anand.
“ Chess in Schools and Communities has already reached over 100 schools and we plan to involve 400 schools and teach 30,000 children the game over the next two years in inner city areas.” commented Malcolm Pein, CSC chief executive. “It's wonderful to see our work, and the role chess can play in improving educational outcomes, recognised in this way.”
The President of the SRA, HRH Prince Edward the Earl of Wessex presented the winners and highly commended organisations with their awards at the organisation's Annual General Meeting on July 19th at St. James’s Palace.
Bulgarian school becomes first in Europe to make chess part of curriculum
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2011
Hi everyone,
A high school in Bulgaria has become the first in Europe to introduce chess as a compulsory subject for all its students. Those behind the project want the idea to be extended across the continent.
In a classroom on the top floor of the Eurostandard High School in central Sofia, a group of pupils are laying out chess sets ready for their next lesson.At the beginning of the school year, these pupils became the first in Europe to take chess classes as an obligatory subject. It's a pilot project initiated in partnership with the European Chess Union. The program is designed to promote chess among young people throughout Europe.
"We care about our children of the new generation in Europe, so of course we want to give them the best, that's why we need to promote chess," Boyko Hristov from the European Chess Union told Deutsche Welle. "That's why our partnership became a reality."
The children at Eurostandard are the lucky ones. It's a private high school, which specialises in preparing elite students for careers in banking, finance and insurance. There are just 50 pupils, aged 14 to 18. Hristov hopes this school will be the first of many. He said the Bulgarian Ministry of Education has expressed an interest in introducing chess classes in the public school system, but there's one major stumbling block. Read the full story at this link.
The story was about British MP Rachel Reeves and it was an event with none other than Gary Kasparov in London. It was the first birthday of Chess in Schools and Communities, held at the House of Commons on 18th October 2011, with special guests Garry Kasparov, Nigel Short and children from participating schools. Rachel Reeves MP hosted and many MPs supported the event.
Well, you can find a full album at this link Ray Morris Hill photography and here is a small set from the event. Enjoy. London based photographer, Ray Morris-Hill specialises in Portraits, Fashion, Wildlife and Sports. Published in "The Times", "The Guardian", "Коммерсантъ", "Digital Photographer", "Time Out", "Drapers", "220 Triathlon", "Peon de Rey", "Chess Life", "British Chess Magazine" and "Chess".
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The 5th London Chess Classic takes place at Olympia from Saturday 7th December to Sunday 15th December 2013. CSC school events at previous Classics have proved great successes and shall be running them again this year. The programme will be delivered by professional chess tutors and is intended for children of all chess abilities, from complete beginners upwards. These events will run from 10.00 am to 3.30 pm each day, with a break for a sandwich lunch. All primary and secondary schools are invited to participate. Please note that space is limited to 400 children per day and priority will be given to current CSC schools. Photographs will be taken at all LCC events which may appear on the CSC website and the charity’s promotional material. Members of the press may also film some of the events for broadcast. Appropriate parental consent should be obtained beforehand. Please contact Nevil Chan on 020 7935 3445 if you have any queries.
Also check the official website of the London Chess Classic 2013.
